


Framework Situation

by Justsomeone99



Category: Captain America (Movies), The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: AU Framework (kind of), M/M, Post-Avengers: Endgame (Movie)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-20
Updated: 2020-04-20
Packaged: 2021-03-02 02:26:26
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,138
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23757598
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Justsomeone99/pseuds/Justsomeone99
Summary: After Sam and other avengers get trapped in the framework, Bucky must rescue them, but can Bucky convince Sam to leave this perfect world where he is happily in love with someone else? Someone he lost many years ago in the real world.
Relationships: Background Tony Stark/Steve Rogers, James "Bucky" Barnes/Sam Wilson
Kudos: 7





	Framework Situation

**Author's Note:**

> I had this idea for a while and I decided to write it, hope you like it.

Bucky Barnes woke up in Wakanda, it had been two months since the blip and he had given the option to join Sam Wilson in his mission to be Captain America but he had refused, he wanted to have some peace and help in other ways. There was also the thing that he and Sam were dating and Bucky wasn’t ready to fight side by side with him, he wasn’t sure if he could focus if the new Cap was somewhere near him. 

“White wolf” Shuri said to him when he arrived at her laboratory “What brings you here today? Ah let me guess, it has something to do with certain birdy”. 

Bucky blushed and tried to hide his face, it was true that Sam was supposed to arrive in Wakanda today and it was the main reason for which Bucky had left his hut, but he also liked to talk with Shuri, she was probably the smartest person alive and she was still so young and cheerful. 

“He has a diplomatic meeting with your brother, something about the new avengers. I heard that even Thor, Hulk, Hawkeye and even old man Steve are going to come”.

“Yes, but you are focusing on the wrong people. Two warlocks, a sorcerer supreme, some new girl with a bow and the spider kid are coming. I wonder if Captain Marvel is going to come. Anyway, who wants the old dudes when you are getting all the new vibes?”

“You are only excited because Peter is the only one that understands what you are saying half of the time” he mocked.

In that moment Shuri got the notification that a ship had entered Wakanda’s airspace. Bucky tried to suppress his smile but failed and Shuri laughed when he saw his expression. They went to the landing platform.

“This place still amazes me” Hawkeye said.

“Clint, you have never been here” Sam reminded him.

“But with all the stories I heard it feels like I have been here before”

They were the first ones two exit the ship, behind them Scott and Hope were looking everything in awe, totally impressed by Wakanda, Bucky understood them, he had also been really shocked when he saw Wakanda the first time and in that time he hadn’t even be fine. 

Sam located Bucky and went to greet him; he gave the other man a simple kiss in the cheek and smiled confidently when he felt Bucky’s cheek warm under his ministration. 

“How have you been?” Sam asked, his arm casually put on Bucky’s shoulder.

“Fine, you know with my goats and hearing Shuri’s talk about science that I don’t even begin to comprehend but you know…”

“Are you still planning to study again?” 

“Maybe. Do you think that I can make it?” Bucky still was unsure, he knew he could still learn things, he had adapted do the twenty first century after all but he wasn’t certain if he could pull off something as difficult as school.

“I’m one hundred percent sure that you can make it” Sam smiled warmly at him and Bucky couldn’t help but return the smile.

Slowly, the other avengers started to arrive, they were all talking and greeting each other in the meeting room, even T’Challa appeared early and started to get to know the possible new members. It was too much for Bucky, suddenly he felt overwhelmed and left, Sam offer to go with him but Bucky said it would only take him a moment. 

Bucky, traveled inside the palace, he breathed the clean air of Wakanda, he knew he had to return to the meeting but he wasn’t still too comfortable in crowds. He walked without a place in mind and he ended in Shuri’s lab. She was there working on something.

“Aren’t you supposed to be in the meeting?” She asked him, Bucky wasn’t sure how she knew who he was or maybe she didn’t and just knew that no one was supposed to be at her lab at the moment.

“I could ask you the same thing”

“I’m not an avenger and I don’t want to be one” She answered and Bucky was glad she felt that way, in his eyes she was still a child.

“I’m pretty sure that everyone that fought against Thanos is an avenger, no matter they like it or not” He also didn’t want to go back to the meeting alone. 

“Wakanda, land of avengers” Shuri said, remembering that basically all Wakanda had fought in both battles against Thanos.

Bucky was about to ask her to join him in the meeting when one of Shuri’s machines started to beep frantically. She stood up and ran, Bucky followed her immediately, it took him little time to noticed that they were going straight to the meeting room, Bucky felt his heart clutch, maybe something bad had happen.

“Damn it, we are too late” Shuri said with a hint of sorrow in her voice.

Bucky looked at the image in front of him, the avengers seemed asleep, a strange device was in the center of the table, projecting strange light. Bucky took a step forward but Shuri stopped him.

“Don’t get any closer or it will drag you too” She warned him.

“What?” 

“That’s a framework door” Shuri said as if that was any explanation, when she noticed his confused stare, she added “It’s a thing SHIELD encounter many years ago, it’s supposed to recreated a perfect world, taking away peoples greatest regrets of their life”

“They are in another world?” Bucky couldn’t believe it, he looked at Sam, he seemed peacefully asleep, he couldn’t help but wondered what Sam’s biggest regret was.

“They believe they are, we must take them out of there quickly, before that fake life affects their real one” 

Shuri started typing some stuff in her tablet and returned to her lab, Bucky stayed there in the door, watching his friends and love sleep, he wasn’t sure how that device had arrived there in the first place and he resented it, Sam and him had just got together after being turned to dust and now, one of the first times they were about to have time for themselves after the meeting this had to happen, Bucky tried very hard not to think that maybe it was a sign that they weren’t supposed to be together. 

“Shit” Shuri said and Bucky worried, she looked frustrated “I can’t take them out, I can create an exit but they had to cross it willingly”

“What do we do now?” He asked, implying immediately that he would do whatever to bring them back. Shuri moved quickly back to her lab and started to prepare a device that allowed someone to enter the framework. 

“You have to enter the framework, talk to them, convince them that he world they are in is not real” She explained, she was in a hurry. Bucky followed her instructions and lay down in a kind of bed that was there, Shuri put some electronic crown in his head.

“And how do I do that?” He needed to know before he went there.

“Find what’s different, the regret that was fixed, pointed out, you have to hurry Bucky the effects of the framework can be catastrophic, you have to get them out as soon as possible. And one more thing Bucky if you or them die in the framework you will die in the real world too”

And that was the last thing Bucky heard before everything went black.

Bucky woke up in a bed that was too soft, bed sheets too smooth, he felt like he was drowning, he stood up immediately, he was in a room he didn’t recognize.

“Good morning Sergeant Barnes” A female electronic voice said. 

“FRIDAY?” He asked, unsure.

“Yes, Sergeant Barnes?” She answered. 

Bucky wondered if it would be to weird ask the AI, if perhaps that would rise suspicion and someone would be alert that he was there to free the avengers, then FRIDAY was Tony Stark creation so she couldn’t be that bad right? He decided to inspect by himself first.

He walked around the room and located a mirror, he was shocked when he saw his reflection, he had a modern haircut, similar to the one he had in the forties, no longer the long locks he was accustomed to see, his left arm looked different too, it was silver but without the red star and the design didn’t look like it was hydra’s. Then he had an idea.

“FRIDAY can you please scan my arm, it doesn’t feel right today” He hoped the AI didn’t noticed anything strange.  
“The Attached Reinforced Machine – IV is working perfectly Sergeant, but would you like me to inform Mr. Stark about it? He might have time to look at it.”

Bucky stayed silent, Tony Stark was alive, he had entered knowing that something could be different but he didn’t expect that. 

“No…” He answered the AI. 

He started to freak out, it was too much, he never got the opportunity to apologize to Stark for what he had done to his parents, Steve swore that Tony had forgiven him but he…

“Sergeant Barnes your blood pressure is increasing rapidly and you seem to be suffering from shortness of breath, would you like me to call someone?”

“Call Sam” 

Bucky realized his mistake second after he gave the order, he had no way of knowing the Sam and Bucky from the framework had, maybe they weren’t even close at all, maybe Sam Wilson wasn’t even an avenger. His worries faded when the door of his room opened and Sam appeared.

“Whoa Barnes, calm down buddy” 

Bucky felt like something twisted in his chest, it had been a while since Sam called him ´Barnes´ they only used their last names when they were messing with each other and right now wasn’t the kind of situation to be messing around. He looked at the other man and his heart hurt harder, Sam was looking at him scared, like he didn’t know what to do, he stood by the door not moving, Sam seemed to be completely clueless about what was happening to Bucky and that only made Bucky feel worse.

“Bucky! What is it? What’s wrong?” Steve voice reached him it sounded young, not like the old man voice he remembered. 

“I’m fine” Bucky said.

“Sure man, you look perfect” Sam mocked and Bucky saw Steve elbow him to shut him up.

“This was a mistake; you can leave now” Bucky said, he knew he would be better in a couple of hours. He saw Sam leave immediately and even if he knew that wasn’t exactly his Sam it hurt. Steve stayed, he entered the room and closed the door.

“Did you have a nightmare? About the ice?” Steve asked, Bucky didn’t know what was Steve talking about “I got them too sometimes, you know? But we are save now, alright? 

“Yeah I know” Bucky didn’t knew shit but he played along, even if that was probably the perfect moment to bring up that he wasn’t the Bucky Steve knew, and that all these world was a simulation that they needed to wake up… he probably would just sound crazy.

Steve left after some time and made Bucky promise that if he ever had another nightmare, he would call him immediately. Bucky left his room and saw that he was in the Avengers tower, he also found out that not only he had a room in the tower but a whole floor… he looked through the windows and had to repress a shudder it was to high, he didn’t like highs. 

He had to find what was different, that was what Shuri had said, but everything was different, how could he distinguish what their biggest regrets were? And what was just a consequence of that change? He walked around his floor, he found a computer and typed his own name, interned history screw it, he needed answers.  
He stood there looking at the screen for what it felt like hours, he couldn’t believe it.

_Sergeant James Buchanan “Bucky” Barnes is a war hero, he fought along Captain America against Hydra. His bond with Steve Rogers started when they were kids and eventually, they reencounter each other in the military. They became even closer after Captain America saved his friends life in two occasions. Sergeant Barnes was presumed dead after Captain America took the brave decision of crashing the plane they were in the Artic, saving several cities in the world and stopping Hydra’s advances… Sergeant Barnes was born in…_

Bucky had found Steve’s regret, he had never fall off that train, Steve had saved him. There was no Winter Soldier in the framework, there had never been.

**Author's Note:**

> Kudos and Comments are appreciated. (And sorry for my bad Wikipedia attempt)


End file.
